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Klarus XT20 Dual Head Flashlight as a Bike Light

I have no idea how this will go over with others, but I decided a few days ago to get one of the new Klarus XT20 flashlights to mount as a bike light.

I've never mounted a long flashlight on a bike before, so this was a first for me.

What I did was to use two ViewPoint spacebars to give the XT20 two mounting points (one in front of and one behind the handlebar) to give it more stability. It's locked into place with two TwoFish lockblocks that connect to the front and rear spacebars. Use of two spacebars allows me to center the XT20. I noticed no unwanted movement or shifting of the light when the spacebars were use this way

This setup is actually working out very well, although I've ridden with it only a couple of times now.

The XT20 puts out a lot of light that seems very "bike rider friendly" to me. That is, it has a good combination of throw and spill. I'm even playing around a bit with mounting a Zebralight SC600 next to it for backup and to use occasionally simultaneously with the XT20. I also ride with a helmet light for looking into my turns and such.

What I like about the XT20 is that it's self contained (one reason I really like flashlights as bike lights), it puts out a lot of light (1200 lumens according to the manufacturer), and it's got a long run time running on two 18650 batteries.

Playing around with the ZebraLight SC600, I was surprised how well the two worked together when I had both on. The XT20 has better throw and the SC600 better floodiness, and the two together really lit up my path nicely. I liked angling the ZebraLight SC600 down a bit by pivoting it down on its own lockblock when using both lights at the same time.

This setup has a rather radically different look, but functionally it seems to be great.

I haven't had an opportunity to do any comparative beam shots but might try to do so in the next few days.

Re: Klarus XT20 Dual Head Flashlight as a Bike Light

Well I like it ! certainly functional and if its getting light in the right place thats great. It is actually very neat i reckon, well done, something a bit different...

Yeah...I like it, too -- even if it is a bit long for most mounting methods that work with shorter flashlights (I suppose). Ever since a BikeForum member suggested I try using a flashlight for a bike light a few years back, I've developed a liking for going that route and having a good multifunctional aspect to the light as a tool (ease of use as either a flashlight or bike light).

Re: Klarus XT20 Dual Head Flashlight as a Bike Light

Thats a nice setup. Plenty of light where you need it. I use a Wolfeyes Sniper w/- 350 lm R5 upgrade and a Wolfeyes Sniper 2 1000 lm X-ML, both in TwoFish lockblocks on my road pushie. Only problem is X-ML will be off after only about 50 minutes on high, and thats with a 2800 mah 18650. Oh well, that's life.
Mike.

Re: Klarus XT20 Dual Head Flashlight as a Bike Light

Thanks for the feedback, Mike. One of the interesting things about using the XT20 is the chance to experiment with more than one lockblock on a long light. I've always found that one lockblock locks a reasonably sized light into place very well, but a long light in a single lockblock can cause some problems with stability. With two lockblocks, this one is pretty much rock solid. What I'd probably rather have with this setup is a single, long Nitto lamp holder out in front of the handlebar (to replace the two spacebars I have). The front lockblock would go on the Nitto bar and the rear lockblock on the handlebar itself. But the places that sell the Nitto lamp holders want so much for them that I've never talked myself in to buying one.

I'm actually working with slightly different placement of the XT20 to get it lower, using a spacebar-mounted lockblock and a handlebar-mounted lockblock, like I described above in what I'd like to to with a Nitto bar. This is streamlining things a bit and still allows for a bike computer and secondary light next to the XT20. I'll post more pics later to show the difference as long as I can get everything situated the way I'd like.

Re: Klarus XT20 Dual Head Flashlight as a Bike Light

Well, I lowered the headlights by dropping the spacebars down to just past parallel with the handlebar (rather than keeping one spacebar behind the handlebar) and using the handlebar for the rear lockblock. With such a head-heavy flashlight at the XT20, I was worried this might not work -- that the weight would cause the spacebar to tend to "bump" downward when hitting anything that the front wheel hit very hard. But the lockblock on the handlebar seems to add just enough stability to keep that from happening. I'm not sure I'd recommend this for rough riding off road, but it works fine for my riding streets and relatively easy trails.